5 Weirdest Legal Stories of 2018

We live in a weird, weird world. Even our legal system, designed to makes things a little more predictable and a little less weird, is not immune from the strange. Many are tempted to call 2018 our weirdest year, but that may be the result of recency bias. There's no doubt that things did get a little odd, legally speaking, over the past 12 months, so here are the five stories from our legal curiosities blog:

1. Jilted to Gilded: North Carolina Husband Gets $8.8M From Man Who Slept With His Wife

North Carolina is one of the few states that still allows "alienation of affection" lawsuits, and those suits can get expensive. Beyond this payout, jilted exes have gotten jury awards up to $30 million. No wonder there are a couple hundred of these claims filed in the Tar Heel State every year.

2. College Evicts Former Student Who Won't Leave Dorm Room

Moving on to the real world can be hard. But the first step is moving out of the dorm. One Hunter College student has been residing in the school's dorm since 2016, despite no longer being a student, racking up a $94,000 rent bill. Hey, at least she's not living with her parents.

3. Man Sues for Lost Job After 'Pocket Dialing' Boss

We've all been victimized by the odd butt dial. Whether it's letting an ex listen in to a conversation about a new relationship, or overhearing your mom detail the many injustices she suffered from "that one lady at work" to your aunt, accidentally calling someone or having someone accidentally call you can be embarrassing, but rarely do we lose our jobs over it. Not so for one Georgia man who was fired after mistakenly dialing his boss, all while loudly criticizing his boss's job performance.

4. World First: Elephant Receives Habeas Corpus Order

Normally, wild animals don't get to have their say in court. But Happy, an elephant who's lived at the Bronx Zoo since 1977, became the first animal to have her legal rights recognized by a court, perhaps winning her freedom.

5. In-N-Out Seeks Restraining Order Against YouTube Prankster

Walk into our restaurant with a suit claiming to be our CEO once, shame on you. Walk into our restaurant with a suit claiming to be our CEO twice, we file a restraining order against you banning you from the premises.

Related Resources:

• McDonald's Quarter Pounder Lawsuit (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• McDonald's Responds to Quarter Pounder Lawsuit (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• Dum Dums v. Tootsie in Lollipop Legal Lunacy (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• Can I Build My Own Catapult? (FindLaw's Legally Weird)